Volkswagen drivers seek compensation

Around 10,000 British Volkswagen owners are looking to receive compensation after signing up to take legal action against the German carmaker over the 2015 emission scandal.

Taking on the case is London based law firm Harcus Sinclair who reported that each driver is seeking somewhere between £3,000-£4,000 per car, a fee designed to cover the difference between what they thought they were paying for and the actual product they received.

The emission scandal first came to light back in September 2015 when Volkswagen admitted that almost half a million vehicles across the US had been equipped with defeat device software which allowed them to cheat heavily on emissions tests.

Further investigation prompted Volkswagen to admit that 11 million vehicles worldwide had been fitted with the technology, including 1.2 million in the UK.

“It is only right that UK car owners affected by the scandal have the opportunity to seek compensation,” said Damon Parker, head of litigation at Harcus Sinclair UK Ltd. "We have secured funding so that those affected can bring this claim against VW at no cost to themselves.”

Volkswagen have already agreed a $15 bn (or £12 bn) settlement with a section of the government and the owners of affected vehicles in the US and last October, a Spanish court ruled that the owner of an affected car should receive a €5,000 (or £4,300) pay-out from the carmaker.

There’s been no pay-outs of this type in the UK and a number of consumers and MPs have openly criticised the British government for taking so long to open up a proper criminal investigation and begin pursing compensation.

Last month, it was officially announced that the EU will be taking legal action against the UK and four other countries for not imposing any kind of sanctions or penalties on Volkswagen over the issue.

Newly released industry figures show that Volkswagen's UK sales had fallen by 7.5% in 2016.